Tire testing systems and methods

1. A tire testing system, comprising:

a first rail and a second rail;

a carriage assembly coupled to the first rail and the second rail such that five degrees of freedom of motion of the carriage assembly are thereby constrained;

a first bogie assembly coupling the carriage assembly to the first rail such that at least lateral, pitch, and yaw motions of the carriage assembly are thereby constrained; and

a second bogie assembly coupling the carriage assembly to the second rail such that at least vertical and roll motions of the carriage assembly are thereby constrained;

wherein the carriage assembly translates in a direction that is tangential to the first rail.

2. The tire testing system of claim 1 , further comprising a tire articulation system coupled to the carriage assembly, wherein the tire articulation system comprises a dedicated actuator for each degree of freedom of motion of a test tire coupled thereto.

3. The tire testing system of claim 2 , wherein each of the dedicated actuators comprises at least one of a force-based actuator and a displacement-based actuator.

4. The tire testing system of claim 2 , wherein the tire articulation system further comprises a lateral motion mechanism that is actuated by a displacement-based actuator, a vertical elevator that is actuated by a force-based actuator, a torque mechanism that is actuated by a force-based actuator, a camber mechanism that is actuated by a displacement-based actuator, and a steering mechanism that is actuated by a displacement-based actuator.

5. The tire testing system of claim 2 , wherein the tire articulation system comprises an arcuate camber bearing that has a fixed radius.

6. The tire testing system of claim 5 , wherein test tires of different sizes are accommodated by the camber bearing by compensation with lateral motion.

7. The tire testing system of claim 1 , wherein the carriage assembly is translated with respect to the first rail and the second rail by rotation of a test tire coupled to the carriage assembly with respect to a road surface.

8. The tire testing system of claim 1 , wherein the carriage assembly is translated with respect to the first rail and the second rail by rotation of a drive tire coupled to the carriage assembly with respect to a road surface.

9. The tire testing system of claim 1 , wherein the carriage assembly is translated with respect to the first rail and the second rail by rotation of a pair of drive tires coupled to the carriage assembly with respect to a fin structure disposed on a road surface.

10. The tire testing system of claim 1 , wherein the carriage assembly is translated with respect to the first rail and the second rail by a drive mechanism coupled to the carriage assembly and one or more of the first rail and the second rail.

11. The tire testing system of claim 1 , wherein the carriage assembly is translated with respect to the first rail and the second rail by a cable system coupled to the carriage assembly.

12. The tire testing system of claim 1 , wherein the first rail and the second rail each comprise a plurality of rigidly connected segments.

13. The tire testing system of claim 1 , wherein the first rail and the second rail each define a slight bow and rail supports are engineered to allow expansion/contraction.

14. The tire testing system of claim 1 , wherein the carriage assembly further comprises a cutting or shaping apparatus for removing imperfections in a road surface or one or more of the first rail and the second rail.

15. The tire testing system of claim 1 , further comprising one or more of a road surface, a belt, and a drum disposed adjacent to the first rail and the second rail.

16. The tire testing system of claim 1 , wherein the carriage assembly comprises a drive wheel and a test wheel having a predetermined gear ratio between them.

17. A tire testing method, comprising:

providing a first rail and a second rail;

providing a carriage assembly coupled to the first rail and the second rail such that five degrees of freedom of motion of the carriage assembly are thereby constrained;

providing a first bogie assembly coupling the carriage assembly to the first rail such that at least lateral, pitch, and yaw motions of the carriage assembly are thereby constrained;

providing a second bogie assembly coupling the carriage assembly to the second rail such that at least vertical and roll motions of the carriage assembly are thereby constrained;

wherein the carriage assembly translates in a direction that is tangential to the first rail; and

providing a tire articulation system coupled to the carriage assembly, wherein the tire articulation system comprises a dedicated actuator for each degree of freedom of motion of a test tire coupled thereto.

18. A tire testing method, comprising:

providing a first rail and a second rail;

providing a road surface disposed adjacent to the first rail and the second rail;

providing a carriage assembly coupled to the first rail and the second rail such that five degrees of freedom of motion of the carriage assembly are thereby constrained;

providing a first bogie assembly coupling the carriage assembly to the first rail such that at least lateral, pitch, and yaw motions of the carriage assembly are thereby constrained;

providing a second bogie assembly coupling the carriage assembly to the second rail such that at least vertical and roll motions of the carriage assembly are thereby constrained;

wherein the carriage assembly translates in a direction that is tangential to the first rail; and

providing a tire articulation system coupled to the carriage assembly, wherein the tire articulation system comprises a dedicated actuator for each degree of freedom of motion of a test tire coupled thereto.

19. The tire testing method of claim 18 , further comprising providing one or more of a belt and a drum disposed adjacent to the first rail and the second rail.

20. The tire testing method of claim 18 , wherein the carriage assembly comprises a drive wheel and a test wheel having a predetermined gear ratio between them.